NASA is just days from launching an intensive multi-year study of hurricane formation and evolution in the Atlantic Ocean. Known as the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) mission, the project will use robotic Global Hawk airplanes to fly over and through storm systems. A principal goal is to learn more about what makes tropical storms intensify into hurricanes.

Read a more detailed description of Isaac from the satellite view at NASA’s Hurricane Resource Page. Also, the National Hurricane Center provides the official U.S. storm forecasts and regular updates on conditions on its home page.